Post-Game Talk: Islanders @ Rangers 2/14/13 - "The Lincoln Tunnel"

[Machinehead]

Acquiring a really good center should be talked about. I don't think Bad Richards will stay this awful, and I'm not giving up on Stepan, but there's going to be large stretches of time where one or both of them are going to be playing hideous hockey. And it's not fair to Boyle for him to be the center that gets moved up. I want another center before another defenseman.

I don't know where you or anyone on these boards wanting to get rid of Richards think we're gonna find this magical center that's great every night.

Elite centers are drafted and are made unavailable by the team that drafted that. The best we're doing, if anything, is an age upgrade on Richards.

 

[JCrusher*]

Okay, you're right, maybe he would have made a big play, the problem is he hasn't done that one time since last season. I guess I'm just tired of this board clamoring for Kreider to be this cure all, and that he's not getting his opportunities. He just doesn't look ready to me.

To be fair he hasnt gotten a legit chance or legit icetime. He was our best forward against the devils and great against the islanders. he was ok vs tampa. Boston is a tough team but i thought he was ok. The kid acnt score every game but he should have had at least 4 assists. My point is the kid has to play more than 4 games at a time Torts cant bench him just because he doesnt score right away or whatever

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

I wrote up a long rant that I will post later, but my personal favorite moment of the night was when, with 5 min to go in a tie game, Stralman decides it's a good idea to chase a hit up at the right point while Tavares of all people is left alone in the slot.

 

[SA16]

Don't agree with the decision to sit Kreider for Boyle today but you can't deny that Boyle played a very good game today. The issue here is that Torts can't rely on him and expect that type of performance all the time like he's done in the past. Putting him with Gaborik or Nash or whoever and expecting him to play like that again is just going to slow down and weaken the offense.

I don't know what Richards deal is but his play so far has been unacceptable. Typically I'm a "I don't care how you get the points as long as you get them" type of guy - as with Gaborik who sometimes doesn't show up but who cares? He's good for 40 goals a year if he's going to be on and off I can live with that but Richards play has been exceedingly bad making poor decisions, constant drop passes, and simply just not skating.

Additionally Miller has to stay up. I don't really know why he sat in the third but he clearly is one of our top 3 offensive centers above Boyle and Halpern. He has enough speed that he can skate with our third line without slowing it down and you can tell he is very confident with the puck controlling it and passing it well. If he's a bit weak on defense at the moment then that's something you have to live with. Our defenseman are good enough to make up for our offensives defensive deficiencies and the refusal to play people who aren't strong enough defensively is only going to stifle the offense.

Thought Biron played a good game despite his typically awful shootout performance.

 

[GFiP*]

richards was absolutely atrocious this season.

fify

 

[wr50l]

A few things.

We cannot chastise Biron so much. You get what you pay for - he's not a promising young guy who is on a rookie contract and underpaid, he is a veteran who earns what he's worth. We have to accept goals like the third one are just part and parcel of who he is. He did enough to not blow the game, defensively we cannot be that slack in front of a backup.

Why does Gaborik constantly get put forward for shootouts? It's not a coincidence that he's good on breakaways and sucks on shootouts. Stop putting him up there.

Put Hank in for shootouts, night off or not. Pull Marty with a minute left and put Hank in for the shootout. He is the best of all-time statistically; he must go in there, as unconventional as it seems it is totally logical.

Brad Richards is playing like a man who will be bought out. This was his worst game, and it was unacceptable, but have any of his performances so far looked worthy of $6.67m? No.

Usual coaching issues. Boyle, whilst not terrible, should not be getting put in the lineup in the middle of a win streak, what the hell was that about? Lived up to his name as a defensive centre as well, since his line spent several long shifts in their own zone without the puck.

Stepan, had a decent performance by his standards. But he does not have the ability to do things on the fly and it will prevent him from becoming a bonafide top 6 player in his prime. This league is not designed for people to take a touch, look around for a second and then move the puck.

 

[Doctor King Schultz]

I'm going to be so pissed if Gaborik tries to go 5-hole in his next shootout attempt.

 

[nevesis]

Ha! Your hard on for goalies continues. You have anything to say about the rest of the team? You know, the guys out there skating on the ice?

You must be confusing me for someone else. I am usually the strongest defender of goalies, being that I've played and coached the position for many years.

Just making the point that Biron's 5-hole is an abomination, and is exploited with ease during shoot-outs.

'A goalie is only as good as the team in front of him' - Mike Richter

This holds true for tonight. We dropped the ball after it was 2-0, laid back and thought it would have been a cake walk.

You can't ever lay down against any NHL opponent, no matter their place in the standings.

Safe is death.

 

[Machinehead]

This is the poster game of why they need to get rid of the loser point. It's an embarrassment to the sport that Rangers gained points for that effort. They should lose point in the standings for that.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Acquiring a really good center should be talked about. I don't think Bad Richards will stay this awful, and I'm not giving up on Stepan, but there's going to be large stretches of time where one or both of them are going to be playing hideous hockey. And it's not fair to Boyle for him to be the center that gets moved up. I want another center before another defenseman.

This isn't an all-star team. We can't just keep changing players and expecting chemistry to exist. Richards is a good player, but he's looked like ****. Once we can get him out of his funk , he will be the really good center we need.

And what "really good center" could we get? We really don't have many pieces to trade without us completely changing this team even more. Considering we already have half new forwards this year, do we really need to change even more? That's why I hate all this trade talk.

 

[JimmyG89]

Play half a game, get half the points, or were lucky to get 1. Last roughly 10 of the 1st and first 10 of the 2nd were awful. 3rd was neutral. Biron has to make one of those saves in the 2nd. Cannot blame on the first goal. Boyes goal was pathetic positioning. Tavares goal, he got a piece. Bad 2 on 1 against.

Issue was 1 softie and bad coverage/effort in the end 1st and early 2nd. A 20 minute segment cost them a win. Biron terrible in the SO, but always has been. Gaborik should not go. Put Nash, Cally, and I'd like to see Hags with the way he has been playing. Reward him.

Still think with Hank this is a W in regulation, even with Biron playing well, Hank makes a huge difference.

Get CK back in next game though. Might be time to shuffle Asham out for a game. Washington isn't exactly full of tough guys.

 

[OverTheCap]

Some people played hard - most of the defensemen, Cally, Hags, Boyle, Halpern, etc.

Others were lackadaisical and careless with the puck - Richards, Stepan in OT, Del Zotto and Stralman at times.

I saw some good things in this game, the forecheck was pretty effective, but sloppyness and mistakes in the 2nd period basically cost us the game. That PP is a disaster - Richards needs to be kept far away from the PP for a few games.

 

[JCrusher*]

Don't agree with the decision to sit Kreider for Boyle today but you can't deny that Boyle played a very good game today. The issue here is that Torts can't rely on him and expect that type of performance all the time like he's done in the past. Putting him with Gaborik or Nash or whoever and expecting him to play like that again is just going to slow down and weaken the offense.

I don't know what Richards deal is but his play so far has been unacceptable. Typically I'm a "I don't care how you get the points as long as you get them" type of guy - as with Gaborik who sometimes doesn't show up but who cares? He's good for 40 goals a year if he's going to be on and off I can live with that but Richards play has been exceedingly bad making poor decisions, constant drop passes, and simply just not skating.

Additionally Miller has to stay up. I don't really know why he sat in the third but he clearly is one of our top 3 offensive centers above Boyle and Halpern. He has enough speed that he can skate with our third line without slowing it down and you can tell he is very confident with the puck controlling it and passing it well. If he's a bit weak on defense at the moment then that's something you have to live with. Our defenseman are good enough to make up for our offensives defensive deficiencies and the refusal to play people who aren't strong enough defensively is only going to stifle the offense.

Thought Biron played a good game despite his typically awful shootout performance.

I havent been too impressed with miller since the islanders game last week to be honest. Yes he is physical but he has ALOT if defensive lapses more than CK and he needs to learn to pass once in a while lol. I like the kid but he is only 19 let him develop more

 

[Pugs35]

I wrote up a long rant that I will post later, but my personal favorite moment of the night was when, with 5 min to go in a tie game, Stralman decides it's a good idea to chase a hit up at the right point while Tavares of all people is left alone in the slot.

I know Del Zotto had a bad game against NJ and a not great game the next one, but he's played great the last few nights. Stralman had no business getting as many minutes as he did tonight, and no business playing ahead of MDZ. He was terrible all night long.

 

[ImIdaho]

Girardi scored on a one timer tonight, and this team went to the ECF last season, which is pretty far.

Great! Girardi and Gilroy attempted it. Now, explain Nash, Stepan, Gaborik, Richards, etc.?

And are we really going to compare this season's version with last season?

 

[Killem Dafoe]

Rupp scored for Minny

 

[3rd Guy High]

I wonder if there was ever a coach that changed goalies just for the shootout....

Because were talking about the difference between the best shootout goalie in the league and probably the worst.....

 

[GFiP*]

Some optimism: We could have easily only gotten 1 point out of the last two games, and ended up with 3. Take the points and have a short memory.

 

[Machinehead]

And are we really going to compare this season's version with last season?

You can't compare them. Last year's team gave a ****.

 

[Vitto79]

I'm going to be so pissed if Gaborik tries to go 5-hole in his next shootout attempt.

it boggles my mind he can snipe corners so go for it

 

[ImIdaho]

You can't compare them. Last year's team gave a ****.

Bingo! And I don't recall them sleeping on a lead, back-to-back.

 

[Zamboner]

I don't know where you or anyone on these boards wanting to get rid of Richards think we're gonna find this magical center that's great every night.

Elite centers are drafted and are made unavailable by the team that drafted that. The best we're doing, if anything, is an age upgrade on Richards.

Where did I say elite? I'm talking about a 2nd Line Center that could "slum it" on the 3rd line when Stepan is going good, or give another look for the 1st line when Richards is dropping blind passes like Mario Kart banana peels. They're not giving those players away, but that's where I'd be looking before I'd look at another defenseman.

 

[GFiP*]

To me, the most maddeningly inconsistent player is Del Zotto. How do you go from looking like a very good player to complete garbage every other night is beyond me. He is a mental midget.

 

[SA16]

I havent been too impressed with miller since the islanders game last week to be honest. Yes he is physical but he has ALOT if defensive lapses more than CK and he needs to learn to pass once in a while lol. I like the kid but he is only 19 let him develop more

He could use more time to develop and I don't think he's been great lately but the problem is we don't have any better options internally. Halpern or Boyle are clearly not an offensive threat at all. Halpern skates well, is good on faceoffs, and is good defensively but he doesn't pass or shoot well. Boyle is extremely slow, has poor vision, doesn't handle the puck well, and doesn't have a great shot. He is very good at playing the puck along the boards and playing defensively. But, with both of these guys in the lineup as the 3C and 4C the offensive capabilities of each line is severely hindered. Having Miller in helps to give the line a chance to do something offensively other than dump the puck in, start a long cycle, and hope to eventually get a shot and see if we can put in a rebound.

Additionally, and unrelated, I was curious as to why Hagelin seemed to play very limited minutes in overtime.

 

[Machinehead]

Where did I say elite? I'm talking about a 2nd Line Center that could "slum it" on the 3rd line when Stepan is going good, or give another look for the 1st line when Richards is dropping blind passes like Mario Kart banana peels. They're not giving those players away, but that's where I'd be looking before I'd look at another defenseman.

Another 2nd line center is just going to be redundant. The center position isn't going to improve until we learn how to draft one.